The creator and visionary behind the Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto was Captain Neil Boyd McEacharn, assisted by botanist Henry Cocker. Among Italy's most important botanical parks, the gardens host around 1,000 non-native species and 2,000 varieties and species of particular botanical significance.

Special mention goes to the sole living representative of the Metasequoia genus and the Davidia involucrata, which has been proudly on display since 1938, the year it was planted.

Blooms unfold from early spring to late autumn, with the Acer Palmatum Cap. McEacharn, whose leaves are green during the summer, taking on scarlet hues.

The botanical heritage and exotic imprint of the garden located on Isola Madre have made it, in the words of Gustave Flaubert, "the most voluptuous place seen in the world."

Built in the early 19th century, the park hosts water lilies, lotus flowers, hibiscus, bougainvillea, and morning glories, as well as bamboo, eucalyptus, palms, and bananas.

The particularly mild climate, thanks in part to the waters of Lake Maggiore, has also allowed the flowering of proteas, a prehistoric flower symbol of South Africa that has found its ideal environment here.

The symbol of Isola Madre is the Kashmir cypress, which arrived here in 1862 from the Himalayas.
 

Built from 1631 to 1671, the Italian-style garden on Isola Bella offers ten terraces that come alive with different hues and shades with each blooming of azaleas, boxwood hedges, camellias, roses, oleanders, citrus, and hydrangeas.

The most important monument in the garden is the Teatro Massimo, surrounded by ancient camphor trees, the fragrant Olea Fragrans, and the rare Halesia Diptera with flowers resembling delicate snowflakes.

Another peculiarity of the Gardens of Isola Bella, adding to its charm and uniqueness, is the presence of white peacocks roaming freely.

Located on the road leading to Mottarone is the "Alpinia Botanical Garden," whose symbol is the Gentian, a small, rare, and wonderful bell-shaped flower with a characteristic violet-blue color.

In a panoramic position, a natural balcony overlooking Lake Maggiore, the visit offers a splendid view of the lake, the Borromean Islands, and the surrounding peaks.

Unique of its kind, it is the second Italian alpine botanical garden, mainly hosting alpine and subalpine botanical species, as well as species from the Caucasus, the Pyrenees, and the Himalayas.

Noteworthy is the collection of rhododendrons, including various Asian as well as native species.

In one of the most picturesque locations on Lake Maggiore, not far from Stresa, on an area of about 18 hectares, Parco Pallavicino rises—a wonderful garden hosting important and rare botanical varieties, along with 50 species of mammals and birds, including some specimens of wild animals.

The blooming flowers from April to September beautifully color the avenues and flower beds of the park. Before the roses, the stars of May are tulips and violets. If attracted to hibiscus, begonias, and dahlias, the best time to visit the garden is from June to September.

Not to be missed are the tree species, a great marvel of this park, including ancient chestnuts, giant tulip trees, ginkgo biloba, and sequoias, although the star is the large cedar of Lebanon that grows not far from Villa Pallavicino.